The Graves 601 Hotel is Now a Wyndham

It looks like Wyndham Hotels is doing their best to gussy up their brand not just by introducing a "fashion" hotel to NYC but also by snapping up cool, independent hotels like the Graves 601 in Minneapolis.

The 255-room hotel has just joined the Wyndham family and it's official name will now be: Graves 601 Hotel, Wyndham Grand.
But that seems to be the only thing that's changing here. The hotel is not undergoing any on-site changes, aside from adding "Wyndham Grand" to the signage, said Benjamin Graves, the Graves Hospitality president, in a statement:

'Although there are enormous behind-the-scenes advantages to this partnership from a business perspective, the ownership, management, team, amenities and services will remain the same,' said Graves. 'We will continue to deliver the same Graves experience our guests expect.'

Hmm...we're still not so sure that adding Wyndham to a hotel name is the best idea but it's good to know the Graves is keeping its own identity. Room rates here start at $206 a night.

Interestingly, Target, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, let their designer, Michael Graves, out on loan to do some work for Wyndhams a few years back. But as far as we can tell, they aren't related. If we're wrong, let us know.

pathetic

What are they thinking at this hotel? Wyndham is an awful affiliation: they have poor distribution, no upscale presence anywhere and their sister brands include Howard Johnson, Travelodge and Super 8. Clearly, the people at Graves are worried about the recent partnership between Chambers and Starwood to rebrand the hotel a Le Meridien.

Misleading name but fabulous!

It's pretty obvious upon entering the hotel that the name is not fitting. However, the posh atmosphere along with the trendy bars and restaurants compensate for this. Read more on what I had to say about Graves 601 in my article at <a href="http://www.hotelpillowtalk.com">http://www.hotelpillowtalk.com</a&gt